9.6 Naming the topic first
9 · Syntax — putting words in order · a plain-language guide to Assyrian (Sureth) grammar
A very common Assyrian sentence starts by naming what you're about to talk about, and only then says something about it — with a pronoun or ending inside the sentence pointing back. English does this in speech too ("my brother, his car broke down"), but writes it out of existence; Assyrian keeps it, and it is neutral rather than casual.
| Assyrian | literally | English |
|---|---|---|
| ana shuli ahele | I — my job is this | my job is this |
| at le-avilukh bruna | you — there will not be to you a son | you won't have a son |
| ana gna letli | I — there is no guilt to me | I've done nothing wrong |
| a-Natan etval kha akhuna | this Natan — there was to him a brother | Natan had a brother |
| u-riga lebbu bekyadele | the servant — his heart burns | the servant feels sorry |
Notice how naturally this pairs with "There is" and "to have" (Chapter 4) and Saying how you feel: "have" and most feelings are built on endings that point back at a person, so naming that person first is how you get them into the sentence at all. ana gna letli is not an unusual construction — it is the only way to say it.
The named item can also be picked up by repeating the noun rather than by an ending, which is looser still and very common in speech:
| Assyrian | English |
|---|---|
| talme, miyya k-avivalan ga-danne talme | jars — we had water in these jars |
| ina arkhe, men kulle mavay arkhe k-ativa | as for guests, guests came from all the villages |
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